Vertumnus and Pomona

Pastoral subjects of nymphs and shepherds in idyllic landscapes were very popular in Borâs day. This is the story of the wooing of Pomona by Vertumnus, Italian god and goddess of orchards, trees and ripening fruits. Here Vertumnus appears in disguise as an old man decorating Pomona's hair with ears of corn and flowers, symbols of fertility. The painting is a fusion of styles - a Dutch earthiness combined with a classical Italian composition, the three figures of Vertumnus, Pomona and the cupid forming a triangle. The mythological subject has provided the artist with a splendid excuse to paint naked breasts. The female figure is idealised to match the contemporary ideal of womanly beauty. The contrast of age and youth between the lovers was another device commonly used to heighten the erotic connotations of such paintings. Suggestive works like Vertumnus and Pomona were much in demand amongst patrons in the 17th century but they usually masqueraded under their respectable, mythological subject matter.